Driving mechanism for washing machines



Dec. 11, 1923.

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T. W. BEHAN ET ALv DRIVING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES v Filed Dec.15. 1922 3 Sheets-Shqet 5 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. BEHAN AND HERMAN W. DOUGH'I'Y, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.

Application filed December 15, 1922. Serial No. 607,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THoMAs W. BEHAN and HERMAN W. DOUGHTY, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Binghamton, county of Broome, andState of New York, have jointly invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Driving Mechanisms for Washing Machines, of which thefollowing is a description.

While our invention in its broad aspects relates to drivin mechanismsfor any t pe of washing mac ine, our particular object has been toprovide a drivingmechanism which is particularly well adapted for use inconnection with washing machines of the oscillating tub type, an exampleof such machines being the machine illustrated in the United Statespatent to Wearne, No. 1,319,314, October 21, 1919..

Washing machines of this character are provided with an oscillating tubwhich, when clothes are being washed, is partially filled with clothesand water. And, of course, the weight of the oscillating tub dependsupon the amount of water and clothes therein. Because of the suddenchanges of direction resulting from the oscillation of the tub, it iscustomary to interpose springs between the driving member and the tub inorder to take up the shock and reduce the noise that would otherwiseoccur. The strength of these springs is customarily made sufiicient tomeet the conditions which arise when the tub is full (that is, filled upto the predetermined water-line) with water and clothes, or, in otherWords, when the machine is loaded. The result is, however, that when themachine is run light, i. e., with the tub empty or ractically so, as forexample, in store emonstrations, etc., the springs are excessivelystrong and take up the back lash of the gearing so suddenly at eachreversal of movement that a loud and objectionable noise results.

One of the specific ob'ects of our invention is to provide a rivingmechanism which will befree from this objectionable noise, irrespectiveof the load conditions under which the machine is run.

Another object is to provide a driving mechanism which shall haveconvenient means for compensating wear.

Still another object of our invention is the provision of an eflicientoiling system for such a drivin mechanism.

With=these 2111f other objects in view, as

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1. v v

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

4 is a front elevation of the yoke wh1c supports the worm.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the yoke. Referring to the drawings, 1designates the driving shaft which receives its power from a pulley 2,or other suitable source, the pulley 2 usually being driven by anelectric motor. Upon this shaft 1 is mounted the worm 3 which mesheswith and drives the worm wheel 4 mounted upon the driven shaft 5 towhich it is secured by means of the key 6 or the pin 7 or both. Thisdriven shaft 5 may be the main drive shaft of the washing machine, andto it may be connected, as, for example, throu h the bevel gears 8 and'9, the vertical shatt 10 adapted to drive the usualwringer mechanism.

As we have stated above, one of the objects of our invention is toeliminate the noise due to back lash which results from the operation,when light, of the present day oscillating machine. In order toaccomplish this it is necessary that the worm 3 and wheel 4 be held intight contact so that there will be no appreciable back lash. Such tightcontact requires two things, first, very efiicient lubrication toprevent excessive wear, and, second, means for compensating for suchwear as does take place.

We will first describe the means for compensating for the wear. Thesemeans comprise the pivoted yoke 11 and the means for mounting andadjustin this yoke. This yoke 11, as best seen in%ig. 2, is pivotallymounted upon the pintle 12 which is secured at its ends to the casing 13as shown, for example, in Fig. 3. The bearings 14, 14, in which theshaft 1 is mounted are formed in the yoke 11 at points eccentric fromthe intle 12 upon which the yoke is mounted. he upper extension of theyoke is provided with an aperture 15 through which the adjusting bolt 16passes. This bolt also passes through the tapped hole 16*" of the frame13 and is provided with the lock nut 17. By adjustmg this bolt .16 theyoke may be swung about the pintle 12 as an axis to bring the worm 3into closer contact with the worm wheel 4 when desired, thuscompensating for any wear that may have occured. After described fortaking up wear between the worm and wheel are simple in construction andconvenient in operation so that any user of the machine, if it is foundthat wear has occurred, may, by the simple adjustment above described,make complete compensation for it.

This brings us to the-lubricating. mechanism which we have devised forpreventing excessive wearbetween the worm and wheel. The oil or otherlubricant employed for this purpose is retained within the oil reservoir19 formed in the bottom of the casing 13. We preferably provide thecasing at this point with an oil cup 20 for introducing the oil, andwith a drain lug 21 b means of which the oil may be witiidrawn ifdesired. Partially submerged in the oil within this reservoir 19 is theidler worm wheel 22 mounted at 23 within the casing and meshing withand. driven by the worm 3. We have found in practice that this wormwheel 22 when driven in the oil bath 19 carries up to the worm 3 andthence to the worm wheel 4 quantities of oil well in excess of what isre i uired to properly lubricate those gears. he gear system is normally so operated that the worm wheel 4 rotates in the clockwisedirection indicated in Fig. 1. In so rotating it carries with it largequantities of oil which it has received from the wheel 22 and worm 3. Alarge part of the excess of the oil so carried by the worm wheel 4 dropsoff of that wheel at its left hand side as viewed in Fig. 1. The oil sodropped falls upon the left hand portion of the yoke 11 which i providedat that end with an aperture 24 communicating with the left hand bearingof shaft 1. A portion of the oil' falling upon the left hand portion ofthe yoke drops through this aperture 24 and passes thence to the bearing14 for the shaft 1. The remainder of the oil dropping upon the yokepasses through the inclined channel 25 formed in the yoke and thence tothe bearing 14 through the aperture 26.

It will be apparent that the above de- 'scription that by, means of theidler gear 22 and the construction of the yoke 11 as above described oilin abundant quantities is not only supplied to the worm and wheel 3 and4, but also to the bearings 14, 14 of the shaft 1. Accordingly, eventhough the worm 3 and wheel 4 are maintained in such tight contact as torender the operation of the washing machine substantially noiseless evenwhen the machine is running light, the wear upon the parts is veryslight. And it will be apparent, also, that such wear as does occur mayvery readily be compensated for by a simple'adjustment of the oke 11.

Our invention, though simple and inexpensive in character, constitutes,to our mind, an important improvement in driving mechanisms for washingmachines, since, as I have said, it makes possible the noiselessoperation of such machine irrespective of 'theload carried thereby.

The terms and expressions which we have employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and we have no intention, in the useof such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalent of thefeatures shown and described, or portions thereof, but recognize thatvarious modifications are possible within the sec e of the inventionclaimed.

l 'hat we claim is:

1'. A driving mechanism for the )urposc described, comprising a drivingiaft, a yoke provided with bearings in which said shaft is mounted, agear mounted upon said shaft, a second ar driven thereby, an oilreservoir locate below said shaft, and a third gear driven by said firstgear and adapted to be partially submerged in oil contained in saidreservoir and to feed oil constantly to the other two gears, said yokebeing provided with means for directing a portion of said oil to each ofsaid bearmgs.

2. A driving mechanism for the urpose described, comprising a driving saft, a. yoke provided with bearings in which said shaft is mounted, agear mounted upon said shaft, a second gear driven thereby, an oilreservior located below said shaft, and a third gear driven b said firstgear and adapted to be partia y submerged in oil contained in saidreservoir and to feed oil constantly to the other two gears, said yokebeing provided with an aperture a ove each of said bearings and aninclined channel leading to one of said apertures whereby a portion ofsaid oil is directed to each of said bearings.

3. A driving mechanism for the purpose described, comprising a drivingshaft, a gear mounted thereon, a second gear driven by the first gear,and means for adjusting the relative positions of said gears, comprisingan L-shaped yoke pivoted adjacent the inter prising an L-shaped yokeivoted adjacent the intersection of its two egs, one of said le S beingprovided with two bearings in 15 W ich said driving shaft is mounted andwith means for directing to both of said bearings lubricant applied tothe yoke ad- 'acent to one of them, and the other of said iegs beingprovided with means for adjust- 20 ing said yoke about its pivot, andmeans for securing said yoke in ad'usted osition. THOMAS BE AN. HERMANW. DOUGHTY.

